Championship outfit Birmingham City want to recruit Matija Sarkic on a permanent basis but Wolverhampton Wanderers are unwilling to sell him, according to an update from Birmingham Live.

The 24-year-old plied his trade at St Andrew's last season, impressing during the first half of the season before a dislocated shoulder in January ruled him out for the remainder of the 2021/22 campaign.

Although Neil Etheridge came back in as a reliable option for the West Midlands side, this was a real blow for Lee Bowyer's side who had seen Sarkic establish himself as one of their best players during the early stages of the term.

 

 

With this, it's no surprise that Birmingham are interested in recruiting the shot-stopper once more and with Connal Trueman departing the club this summer, a first-team spot has opened up for the Montenegro international.

In a potential boost for Sarkic, Bowyer is set to remain at the helm in the Midlands despite intense speculation surrounding his future towards the end of 2021/22, with some outlets even believing he would be sacked at the end of the term.

Despite this, he has been instructed to carry on and could potentially make a formal approach for the 24-year-old again, with Sarkic stepping up admirably in the absence of Etheridge who took a while to recover from Covid-19 after being hospitalised with the virus.

However, a loan deal may be the most realistic option at this stage with Bruno Lage's men unwilling to part ways with the goalkeeper on a longer-term basis.

The Verdict:

Birmingham look set to utilise the loan market again anyway considering they are likely to be working within a limited budget, so pursuing another temporary move for Sarkic may not be the worst move for them.

However, they would ideally want to strike a permanent agreement so they can have him on a longer-term basis - and he's the sort of addition that could help to guide the club up the second-tier table in the coming years if he can replicate his form from the 2021/22 season.

The 24-year-old may be open to a longer-term move too considering he won't have to relocate if he ends up at St Andrew's, so in the end, player power may decide whether a permanent transfer is sanctioned by officials at Molineux or not.

Having him as a permanent asset would allow Blues to sell him on for a considerable fee in the future too, something that will only help in their quest to remain within the EFL's financial limits, whilst also being able to invest in the squad.

It remains to be seen whether the second-tier side are willing to fork out the amount needed to lure him to St Andrew's though - perhaps not under their current owners - though a takeover could be a game-changer.